LOZ: Two Kingdoms
by Cocoon02
Summary: In Ordon Village, Link and Zelda have grown up together. After a strange dream that he can't remember, Link's simple life is interrupted by events that may or may not be related to his dream.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** So, this is the first fanfic I've written that's not for Final Fantasy. I am a HUGE Zelda fan, and if you're reading this, you probably are, too. :)

Running through the basics:  
-Link _will_ be talking, but I mean, this would be boring if the whole thing was Link nodding and grunting. (though it works just fine in the games, lol)  
-Expect some characters to be OOC on occasion. Especially Zelda. But you'll understand why once this stupid author's note finally finishes.  
-I'm going to try to update regularly, but school's starting back up soon and it might take a while to settle into a schedule.

That's about it. Please enjoy, and don't forget to leave a review telling me what you thought! :)

* * *

"Good job, Link. Fastest time yet!" Fado said enthusiastically.

"All thanks to her." Link replied, giving Epona a pat on the neck. She shook her head happily and let out a loud whinny. Fado laughed, which earned him a big horse sneeze on his shirt.

"Aw, man!" Fado cried, trying to wipe his shirt dry.

"You know Epona doesn't like to be laughed at." Zelda said, appearing from the other side of the aforementioned horse.

"But I was laughin' _with _her, not _at_ her!"

"It's all the same to her." Link told him. Epona displayed her agreement with a hoof stamp.

"Anyway, the goats are all locked up." Zelda reported.

"Good, that means we can go home." Fado said. "Well, see ya tomorrow."

"Later, Fado."

"See you."

As Fado walked off, Link grabbed Epona's reins firmly in his hand, and gestured upwards. "Need a ride?" He said to Zelda.

She smiled warmly and replied, "Oh, but she worked so hard today."

Epona didn't seem to care. She pointed her nose at Zelda and swung upward a few times, clearly giving the girl permission to ride her. Zelda giggled and relented. "Okay, okay. I'm getting up." She did so, gracefully hopping into the saddle.

"All right, let's go." Link started forward with Epona following behind. As they walked, he and Zelda discussed what had happened that day. Mostly they talked about how Fado had once again managed to get a goat mad at him, and was chased around the field, narrowly escaping getting rammed by closing himself up in the barn. Link was amazed that he came back everyday, he almost got killed at least once a week.

"Whoa." Epona stopped, as ordered. Zelda hopped off almost as gracefully as she had gotten on. "Goodnight, Link. See you tomorrow."

"Goodnight."

Link waited for her to open the door before tugging on Epona's reins and taking his horse along the familiar path home. As dusk fell, the air grew cold; but thankfully it didn't take very long to get home. Epona gratefully entered her little - for a horse - shelter. She waited patiently as Link unsaddled her and removed her bridle, them headed straight for the hay.

"Night, girl." Link said, walking off.

He went to and began climbing the ladder that led to the literal tree house he shared with his uncle. The wood creaked under his weight, but he didn't fear it snapping. The ladder might've been older than his uncle Rino, but it was sturdy. He pulled himself off of the ladder and took the very few steps he needed to reach the equally as old door.

"Hey, kid! How were the goats today?"

Rino was Link's mother's older brother, supposedly. Link didn't remember his mother. His uncle had short, curly hair, as deep a brown as wet dirt. His eyes were the same blue as Link's own eyes. The fifty-something year-old man had a silly streak, but he knew when it was appropriate to be serious. He was nearly six feet tall and was great with horses. In fact, his horse Blaze (named for the blaze on his forehead) was Epona's father. With Blaze, Rino made deliveries for people all over Hyrule, which meant he was often gone. But he always tried to make it home as soon as he could.

"They were great. Fado almost got rammed again, but he's still alive."

Rino chuckled. "I swear, that boy's gonna get himself killed someday." He raised one eyebrow. "Zelda saved his hide again, I assume?"

It was a safe assumption. That happened a lot. "No, he did it himself."

The older man grunted. "Good. Boy needs to learn how to defend himself."

"Against goats?"

"Hell yeah. Did I ever tell you the story about how the mayor gave up working with goats?"

"Only about a hundred times."

"Well then, you should understand." His tone was completely serious, but his blue eyes twinkled. "Did any of those kids try to sneak in?"

"Nah. Ilia was watching them."

"Good." Rino stretched. "Never understood why they want to watch you herd goats." He glanced at Link. "Seems like you had a pretty boring day, as far as days go."

"I take it you didn't?" His uncle's tone was a shade darker then usual, which was odd. He was generally very positive.

"Depends. Just some troubling rumors circling is all."

"Weren't you the one who told me to never listen to rumors?" Link said lightly.

His uncle made an affirmative noise in his throat. "Sure I did. But every rumor has a nugget of truth." He stared out the window. "I'm afraid this one might have a big nugget."

Link did not like this conversation. He'd learned over the years to only be afraid when Rino was. Almost nothing scared his mother's brother. "Whatever it is, it can wait until tomorrow, right?"

Rino looked back at him. "Course. Sorry if I frightened you, buddy. Guess I'm getting paranoid." He changed the subject. "How 'bout some supper, eh?"

* * *

_The dark castle loomed in the distance, its silhouette appearing with every lightning flash. Thunder growled overhead, and rain poured down like oceans emptying from the deathly grey clouds. Link felt very cold, very wet, and very exposed. His heart raced a million miles an hour. Every sense he possessed screamed for him to go to the castle._

**_"Not yet, young hero. There is much to be done first. You have much to learn."_**

_He was in Faron Woods. The sun was shining through the leaves, leaving speckles on the dry ground. The air was warm and comfortable. He knew these woods. He was home under these trees._

**_"Remember your home, hero. Sear its image into your mind. You won't be here much longer. Soon, you will have to go to unfamiliar lands, on unfamiliar feet."_**

_As the voice faded away, pain replaced its soothing tones. Link felt like he was shrinking and stretching all at once. He fell to his hands and knees and his fingers curled inward. His bones changed their very structure and his face elongated into a snout, his teeth shaping into fangs; he grew a tail. After a few seconds that lasted an eternity, his body had taken on the form in a great beast: a wolf._

**_"These paws will carry you to your destiny."_**

_Far to his right, he heard galloping hooves. His ears pricked toward the sound, and his head followed suit. Very soon Epona came into view, with Zelda in the saddle. The horse slowed to a stop at the edge of the clearing Link had appeared in, and her occupant slid out of the saddle._

_Zelda looked very scared. Her clothes and hair were disheveled; it looked to him like she'd been running from someone. Or fighting. She came up to him and knelt down, taking his new body into a slightly awkward hug._

"Remember when you said you'd protect me from trouble?" _She whispered into his ear. _"Please don't let me down."

_He tried to say he wouldn't, but it came out as a whine. She ran her fingers through his fur, eyes still holding fear._

"Promise?"

_He whined again._

_Zelda nodded. _"I'll be waiting." _She stood, and backed away from him. The woods slowly gave way to a stone dungeon, where she sat alone in a cell._

"I've been waiting for you, girl."_ Zelda looked, and fear spread from her eyes to the rest of her body._

_Link barked at the shadow that appeared on the wall, but then it consumed everything._

* * *

Link woke with the sun, as he did every day. But this time, he couldn't lay back down and wait for Fado to come get him. It was his turn to let the goats out.

He stretched and climbed down from his loft onto the main floor of the tree. It was the only floor, really. Except for the basement. He quickly changed into fresh clothes and snatched a few pieces of bread to eat before leaving.

It was pleasantly cool outside. His sandals did little to keep the morning dew from his feet. He debated for a moment waking Epona and taking her with him, but he decided to let her sleep. He didn't need her to let the goats out, and besides, it was a short walk.

When Link reached the barn, he struggled to open the heavy wooden door. The goats seemed to know he was there before he even touched the door, because they started bleating up a storm, anticipating freedom. It took him a minute to get it open, but once he did, the goats got even louder. He stepped into the warm, smelly barn, and opened the gates.

The goats practically stampeded out. Link pressed himself against the wall until they passed, then make the short trek to the back of the building.

In the very last stall was a baby goat. The poor thing had a crippled hind leg, and couldn't get out by itself because the dirt floor in the barn was so uneven. It bleated hello as Link picked it up and carried it outside.

"There you go, little guy." He said gently, putting the baby down on the ground. It hobbled off to find it's mother.

"I feel bad for him." Said a voice.

Link turned. It was Zelda. A wave of relief passed over him, though he wasn't sure why. "He's fine, just can't move very fast."

"I know." She stepped up beside him, watching the little goat slowly wander. "Still."

"Did you get Fado up?"

"Yes. He's coming, but I didn't want to wait for him." Zelda pulled her long brown hair out from behind her head, then let it fall.

"Well, he'll get here." Link took her hand. "Let's go." Fingers intertwined, they went to the fence that kept the goats penned in and sat on the top rail. Watching the animals wasn't hard, they tended to behave as long as nobody messed with them, a lesson Fado had not quite mastered. Though by no means did he mistreat the goats, he just got bored sometimes.

"...Hey, Zelda?"

"Hm?"

"Have you ever felt like you've forgotten something important?"

She cocked her head. "Like what?"

"I dunno. That's my problem." Link sighed.

"Hey! Guys!"

They turned to see Fado jogging casually down the road. He didn't slow until the last second, then hopped onto the fence next to Link. "Sorry I took so long, I had some stuff to do."

"What kind of stuff?" Zelda asked.

"The stuff kind."

"_Right_."

Their day progressed as their days usually did. They sat and talked while the goats ate grass. Pretty boring in the scheme of things, but it was their comfortable norm.

Too bad normal wasn't going to exist for much longer.

* * *

**Gasp, Zelda didn't get captured in the first chapter! Of course not, because that's boring. She will play her traditional role of damsel in distress, but not quite yet.**

**Anyway, this concludes the first chapter of LOZ: Two Kingdoms. I hope you'll stick around for the rest! :)**


	2. Goats

**Author's Note:** Hi! Sorry it's been like...a month... Oops... But hey, I did warn you that it might take me a while! That's no excuse, is it? No? Didn't think so...

But hey, I'm back! So let's blow this popsicle stand of a note and get to the chapter! (Hopefully it's better than the last one)

* * *

Epona nickered, allowing Link to slip her halter onto her face. He checked the straps to make sure they were secure but not too tight, and stroked her silky nose. "Ready for work, girl?" He asked softly.

She blinked.

Link took a few steps to the opposite wall, to grab her reins. Epona's little shelter was located next to the house. It was...well, little; she had enough room to pace a bit and turn around, and she knew how to push open the door. She liked to scatter hay on the ground, what she didn't eat she trampled under her hooves. He could do without the smell though, Link made a mental note to muck the shelter out later. He had to tug to get the reins off the hook, the clasp was stuck. But it hooked onto Epona's halter smoothly.

He let Epona nose the door open, and she waited outside, nosing through the grass as Link closed it.

"Hey! Link!"

He turned around and saw Talo. He was closely followed by Malo and Beth, as usual. "Hey." Link replied.

"Are you going to herd the goats? Can we watch?"

The three brunettes always wanted to watch. They - well, the boys - claimed that watching Link run around on horseback shouting at goats was _cool_. He never understood why, but at least it kept them occupied. "Not for another hour or so, but you can watch as long as you stay _outside_ the fence." He eyed Talo, and the boy merely giggled innocently.

"Don't forget to tell Ilia where you're going." He added sternly, thought with a hint of a smile. Ilia was such a worry-wart. She was good at watching the kids, though. She had low tolerance for disobedience, which generally kept the little tykes in line. Generally.

Beth folded her hands together in front of her. "These two are such _boys._ I'll tell her."

Link smirked internally. Beth acted like she was about six years older than she actually was, and a lot girlier. But it didn't take a genius to see that she was a tomboy at heart.

Malo merely grumbled to himself.

"See you later!" Talo called. He ran off, with the other two still in tow, like a horse pulling two wagons.

Link chuckled. He sometimes wished he was their age again. He was a lot more free back then. Not that there was anything wrong with his life now, but for the past few years, he'd felt as if each day was pulling him closer to something heavy, some...event that he couldn't avoid. But maybe that was normal.

He reached for Epona's reins to let her know they were moving on, but he didn't need to hold on to them. Once he pulled her away from her foliage snack, she just followed him. And she didn't even need to do _that_. They'd walked the path to the ranch so many times, she would never deviate from it unless directed.

On the way, Beth's mother, Sera, called him over from outside her shop. She was generally kind of out of it, but she seemed particularly distracted to him.

"Link, dear, could you come here a moment?"

"Of course." Link replied. He went to her, leaving Epona to continue on without him. Which she didn't. She stopped to nibble.

Sera twisted her hands and asked. "Have you seen the girls today?"

He had in fact seen all three of them. Why was she asking? "Yes."

Sera nodded. "Good." She smiled, but it was a little off. How, he couldn't say for certain. "Keep an eye on them for me, would you?"

"Is something wrong?"

"No, no, no." She said, a tad too quickly. "I'm just paranoid. But, humor me, please."

Link wanted to ask exactly what she was paranoid about, but then he remembered his uncle worrying about a rumor the night before. That must be it. If so, what was going on? "I'll watch out for them."

Her smile was more genuine this time. "Thank you. You're sweet. Now get back to work, I've kept you long enough."

Link smiled, nodded, and retreated back to his horse. Epona's big brown eyes held a glint of attitude, her way of chastising him for getting distracted. He ruffled her mane, his fingers almost getting caught in the scratchy hair. "Don't look at me like that. I can't just ignore people."

She nickered.

Link shoved her - well, as much as you can shove a horse. "Just move."

So she strutted the rest of the way to the ranch.

* * *

"Beaeaeaeaeaeah."

A hot breeze blew the stench of fresh goat droppings into Link's nose. They looked up lazily when he and Epona came close, then went back to grazing. They knew what was coming. Sometimes he thought they enjoyed being chased day after day, other times he thought they were stupid enough to think that maybe he'd just let them be.

"Did I miss anything?" He called out to Fado.

"Not unless you like watchin' these things do their business." He replied, then laughed. "Just glad I don't have to clean it up!"

Zelda was not amused. That messy job was hers. "Ha. Ha." She shoved him roughly, knocking him off of the fence. A deep "Oof!" left him as the air was knocked out of his lungs. Slightly dazed, he cough/laughed the air back into him while he got up. "Feisty." He said.

"Yeah, well maybe I'll just convince Link to shout an angry goat or two your way." She smirked.

Fado backed up to Link and draped his arm around his shoulders. "He'd never do that to me, you'd ya, bud?"

Link winked at Zelda. "Well Fado, I can't refuse the boss's orders."

She crossed her arms and smiled.

"Ah, man!" Fado raised his hands up and took a few steps back. "Now you're gangin' up on me!"

Link just laughed and opened the heavy wooden gate for Epona. Knowing she wasn't needed quite yet, the heavy horse meandered around the field, picking through the tufts of grass blades until she found one suitable for consumption.

"Oh," He added, pulling the gate shut, "I told the kids they could watch today."

"Think Ilia'll be okay with that?" Fado asked.

"Most likely." Zelda replied. "After all, it keeps them from running around like monsters."

"They're not _that_ bad." Link said. "We were worse."

Fado began to chuckle. "Remember the time we got all the cuccos to chase us?"

Link grinned. "We had to jump in the water to get away."

Zelda rolled her eyes playfully. "So many feathers..."

"Couldn't sit down for a week." Fado broke out into a full-out laugh, and the other two joined. It was true, they'd been mischievous little brats. Too curious for their own good, and confident enough to try almost anything that came to mind. Punishments and scoldings were more like...suggestions. Suggestions that they rarely took.

As their laughter subsided, loud voices could be heard down the road. About a fraction of a second later, Link hopped the gate. They were a bit early, but that was alright. Goats can't tell time.

"Hi!" Talo called, leading the little wolf pack, with Ilia following behind. Surprisingly, Colin was in the pack. The boy was the quietest of the kids, and generally quite timid. He spoke softly and he held himself tightly. Maybe it wasn't too much of a surprise, he was the sheep of the pack.

"Hey, kiddos!" Fado said brightly.

"The _boys_ couldn't wait. They _forced_ us to come." Beth informed him.

Malo grumbled.

"Ah, no biggie, right, Link ol' pal?"

Link's response was to stick his fingers in his mouth and whistle Epona's favorite tune. His big, brown companion neighed her reply, then cantered over to him. She reared in excitement then shook her head, flopping her mane everywhere. She was ready to run. Link reached up and rubbed the skin just behind her ears. She leaned her head in toward him, enjoying it immensely.

He gave her a few final pats and turned to the kids. "Remember to stay _out__side_ the fence, okay?"

"They won't even get the chance to think about going in." Ilia said pointedly.

"You don't need to be so tough on 'em." Fado said.

"This from the guy who almost gets _killed_ every day!" Ilia snapped.

Link decided this was the best time to go. He ran a quick check of Epona's equipment before mounting. Those two tended to argue, which always led to one or both of them asking him to say that the other was wrong, which never worked out very well. He heard Zelda attempting to make peace as Epona began their first loop around. Good. They usually listened to her.

He urged Epona to go faster. Her hoofbeats alone were usually enough to get the mothers and kids to head for the open doors. It was the males that gave trouble. Once they'd circled around just a single time, it was just the males left. A few of the older ones were walking to the barn, not in the mood to fool around. But the younger ones and the stubborn ones didn't budge.

Epona slowed to a trot while Link decided how to best handle the goats that remained. There were a few scattered around the edge of the relatively oval-shaped field; those would probably be the easiest to herd. Not being with the main group meant they were likely the outcasts. He directed his horse toward the gate, then spurred her into a canter for their wide swing.

"Hyaa!" He shouted, startling the first few goats into a gallop. Epona got excited about the chase and sped up of her own accord. The mini-stampede grew as the rim goats scared each other into a run. In no time at all, they entered the barn.

Now for the large group. One or two of them had followed the rim group, but the majority was still munching on grass. Except for the largest. He was eying Link with determination, the kind that enables a person to not speak to another for a week, or a goat to stay still with an animal twice it's size and weight running straight for it.

Fantastic.

This particular goat fought for his right to grass nearly every day. One would think he'd have learned his lesson by now. Well, one would be wrong. Link tugged lightly on Epona's reins, directing her to stop. She obeyed, shaking her head again to try and cool down her neck. Link felt sweat trickling down the back of his own neck. Man, it was hot. He readjusted himself in the saddle and thought. He'd have to get really close and circle them from behind. As tough as they'd like to think they are, a horse nearly running them over would scare them. The big guy would likely still be a problem, but he'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

He nudged Epona with a, "Come on" and steered her toward the opposite end of the field from the gate. He brought his left hand nearly to his knee and since he still held the reins, Epona's head followed and she turned around. Once they'd turned completely, he spurred her on.

They came running at the goats at a full gallop and passed with maybe two feet in between. As expected, the goats ran, kicking up dust as they went. Even the big guy. They followed the herd, making sure they went in. And they did, for the most part. At the last second, the big guy made a sharp turn left, straight for the gate.

"Look out!" Link shouted.

Zelda and Ilia backed up as far as they could, and Fado pulled the frozen kids out of danger. He'd just saved the last one when the goat crashed into the gate, breaking it. It bleated loudly as it fell, hitting the ground with a heavy thud. There was splintered wood everywhere, pieces scattered down the road. Epona reared to a stop, startled by all the commotion. Link dismounted, and ran for the fence.

"Stupid...animal..." Fado grunted, attempting to hoist the goat back to it's feet.

"Need any help?" Link asked.

Fado shook his head. "I'm...good..."

"This is _exactly_ why you stay outside the fence." Zelda commented, not obviously shaken. Charging goats never got less terrifying, but she was tough. Link nodded in agreement.

"Come on, let's go." Ilia said calmly to the kids. Colin, Beth, and Malo slowly backed away from the goat and began down the road. But Talo remained frozen. Ilia placed a hand comfortingly on his shoulder. "It's alright, let's go."

He didn't budge.

Ilia turned to Zelda for help. The brunette nodded and knelt in front of Talo. "Hey, it's fine. He wouldn't have hurt you, he just wanted to play. Go on, it's safe."

Talo slowly nodded. Glancing one last time at the goat, he bolted down the road.

Ilia turned on Link. "This is your fault."

"Hey, I didn't _tell him_ to charge."

She put her hands on her hips. "No, but you caved. There's a _reason_ we don't let the kids come here."

"Ilia, calm down." Zelda said. "If he had known this would happen, he never would have said yes."

"But that's the _point._" She nearly snapped. "He can't have known. These things are unpredictable." She turned to Link again. "You risk your life every time you go in there, why would you put them-" She pointed back at the retreating figured of the kids, "-at risk?"

"Can you remember the last time a goat _broke the fence_?" Link asked. "Well neither do I. I thought they'd be safe out here."

"Obviously not." She huffed. Without another word, Ilia followed after the kids.

At that point, Fado finally managed to bring the goat back to it's feet. After slapping it's backside, he ordered it back to the barn, where it went meekly. He turned to Zelda. "It's hard to believe you two are related."

"She's only my cousin." Zelda reminded him. "But even if we were sisters, we'd still be different."

"I know. Just sayin'." He stretched, and something in his back popped loud enough to be heard. "Ow. If you guys'll pick up the broken bits, I'll lock up."

* * *

The heat of the day lasted well into the night. As day became night, the heat thickened. The darker it got, the thicker the heat. By the time Link went to bed that night, it was nearly unbearable. He tried to sleep, hoping that it wouldn't be so hot when he woke, but that was easier said than done. Basically, he stared at the ceiling for a few hours.

Eventually, he sort of fell asleep. Vague dreams floated through his mind. They made sense until they were replaced by another. One dream was filled with screams, another filled with goats.

After a hot, uncomfortable eternity of odd dreams, he was viciously shaken.

"Link!" A voice hissed. "Wake up!"


	3. The Wolf And The Dog

**Author's Note:** Hey! So, it's been like, a month...again... Sorry! I'll try not to let it happen again!

This may be a bit of a spoiler, but it needs to be said. I _suck_ at writing fight scenes. Like, really bad. So if this chapter is less than satisfactory, I apologize.

Let's get on with it!

* * *

"Come on!"

Link opened his eyes to see Rino. He was disheveled, with a mad look in his eyes. Shouts for blood could be heard outside. Adrenaline pumped from his heart as a female scream pierced the noise. He sat up abruptly. "What's going on?"

"No time, get up!" His uncle scrambled down the ladder that led to the ground floor and headed for the basement. Link followed cautiously. He'd never seen him act this way. And what was happening outside?

Clanking metal signaled Rino's ascent of the basement ladder. When he came into view, Link saw the source of the noise: a sword was slung over his peaceful, non-violent uncle's back.

"What-"

"No time." Rino handed the sword over to him. It was lighter than he expected, but still heavy. He held it awkwardly, but barely had time to wrap his fingers completely around the hilt before he was being shoved out the door. He hurried after his uncle down the ladder and tripped after him toward town. Toward the screams.

Link's peaceful little hometown was crawling with what looked like soldiers. But they definitely weren't Hyrulian. He didn't have time to try and think of who they might be, because several of them began running for him and his uncle.

Link hadn't held a sword more than four times in his life, and the ones he'd used before were wooden and light, not metal and heavy. He held the sword up in front of him and noted that it at least seemed to be balanced well. the unknown soldiers were closing in and it hit him that he'd actually have to use this weapon on another human being.

"No hesitation!" Rino shouted, pulling a dagger from his belt.

A dagger against five men?

Link didn't have time to worry about that either, because the soldiers were on them the very next second. He awkwardly swung the sword at the nearest man, who took the blow in the arm. He roared in anger and pain, and lashed out as well. Link barely managed to deflect the attack, and the impact sent vibrations up his arms and down his spine. He swung again hoping to avoid being impaled. The soldier jumped back, but not far enough. The blade sliced through his uniform and chest, creating a dark line that expanded with every passing second. A cry for blood almost deafened Link, who went back to blocking. He tried to get in a few more blows, but he was too inexperienced to recognize good openings for a good counterattack and instead just barely avoided getting sliced open. For a while anyway. Eventually, the cry was answered and pain shot up his right arm, which quickly became sticky and wetly warm.

He was lucky he was left-handed. Though it wouldn't have mattered anyway, because soon a call resounded through the village.

"Pull back, men! We got what we came for!"

His attacker backed off, following the swarm of his companions, as did the men attacking his uncle, whom he'd almost forgotten about. Unlike Link, Rino was completely uninjured, and the only blood on him had run off of his dagger.

"Cowards!" He shouted at the soldiers' retreating backs.

Almost before his proclamation even left the air, another cry replaced it.

_"Link!"_

His blood ran cold.

Zelda.

Among the mass of men, his best friend was being dragged away. She wasn't going without a fight, however. She was kicking and pulling, unlike Ilia near her, who seemed to be unconscious, and therefore unable to fight.

"Zelda!" He yelled desperately. Completely ignoring his injured arm and the warnings of his uncle behind him, he ran after the soldiers disappearing into the woods.

He dodged every natural obstacle without thinking, adrenaline allowing him to run faster than normal. He left like one foot barely touched the ground before propelling him forward. It didn't take long before he caught up with the back of the group.

He didn't know what he was going to do. He didn't prepare. He didn't have a plan. But that didn't matter. He had to do _something_.

Unfortunately, he didn't get to. One of the soldiers sent him flying back with a powerful elbow to the chest. His sword flew out of his hand and stabbed a tree, while the rest of him hit the ground with a sickening _thud_. His head cracked on a rock, and everything began to go black.

"Z-Zelda..."

* * *

"Link? C'mon, kid, rise and shine." The voice waited a few seconds. "C'mon, get up!"

"Link slowly opened his eyes, and knew immediately that something was wrong. For one thing: his hands weren't supposed to be that furry.

He used his...claws to grip the dirt and stand.

"Hey, easy." Rino said.

Link was completely weirded out. He was a - a _dog_, and his uncle seemed to be totally fine with it. He tried to say something, but it came out as a whine.

Right, dogs don't talk.

"Bet you have a lot of questions, don't ya?" Rino sighed. "Well, I don't have all the answers, but I'll try." He placed a rugged hand on top of Link's head. "Link, you're special. You have a purpose, something greater that herding goats. I don't know what that purpose is, but I'll tell you somethin'. Before your mother died, she told me there would be a time when you would have to carry a heavy burden. She said, 'Raise him as best you can.' I did my best. I'm proud of the man you've become, and I'm sorry, but I can't help you.

"I got this letter a few days ago." He pulled a very folded piece of parchment out of his pocket. "It says, 'He must stop the Evil One. He must do it with the girl at his side.'" Rino shook his head. "I didn't understand before. I read it over and over, trying to make sense of it. But this letter gives you your direction." He returned the letter to his pocket. "Zelda. She's the girl. Don't ask how I know, I'm not sure, but it's her. Your first step is to find her, and rescue her." He stood, and Link sat back on his haunches and looked up at him. "I know that's a tall order, but you can do it, Link.

"That Triforce on your paw says so."

Link quickly looked down at his paws - which was still odd to think about - and barked in surprise. Sure enough, s yellow Triforce glowed softly on his left paw, one of the pieces brighter than the others.

"I saw that one other time." Rino told him. "Back when you were real little, when you first came to live with me. That's the only reason I believe any of this goat crap." He turned from Link and walked over to the tree the sword had landed in. He pulled it out almost effortlessly, and it wasn't until light bounced off of the metal into his eyes that Link realized the sun was coming up.

"One more thing," Rino continued, "before we head back, you should probably stop being a wolf."

Wolf. Dog. What did it matter? How in the world was he supposed to just...stop being an animal? He asked that very question the only way he was able: he whined.

"You can do it."

_'Not helpful.' _Link thought.

He tried simply asking to be normal again. He tried harnessing the power of the Triforce. No dice. He tried imagining turning to normal. He imagined his paws turning back into hands, he imagined standing on two legs, _not_ having a tail. And lo and behold, his furry carnivore body exploded in pain.

He howled, feeling his bones elongate, his snout shrink, his tail disappear, and the gash on his arm return. It was the strangest, most painful thing that he'd ever experienced. Yet somehow, it felt familiar.

Thankfully, his bloodstained clothes returned as well, and soon he was kneeling in front of his uncle, seeing out of human eyes and breathing with human lungs.

"Told you." Rino said.

Link snorted. "Thanks." The pain in his arm spiked, and he sucked in a lungful of oxygen.

"Let's go get that taken care of."

* * *

**I know, I know, I could have done better. But hey, it wasn't _completely_ awful.**

**As you can probably tell, this fic doesn't have the most...original plot ever. But fret not, I have a few surprises up my sleeves. *cackles***

**Er, anyway, go ahead and leave a review telling me what I did wrong - or right - so I can make this a more enjoyable story to read! See you next chapter!**


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